Representative Shearjashub Bourne

Shearjashub Bourne (June 14, 1746 – March 11, 1806) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician from Massachusetts who served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and the United States House of Representatives. A prominent figure in the legal and political life of Massachusetts during the early national period, he participated in both state and federal governance as the new republic took shape.

Bourne was born in Barnstable, in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, on June 14, 1746, the son of Timothy and Elizabeth Bourne. He grew up in a coastal New England community that was closely tied to maritime trade and local self-government, an environment that helped shape his later interest in law and public affairs. His family background and early life in Barnstable placed him within the emerging professional and political class of late colonial Massachusetts.

Bourne pursued higher education at Harvard University, from which he graduated in 1764. Following his graduation, he studied law and was admitted to practice as an attorney in Barnstable. Establishing himself as a lawyer, he built a local practice and became known in the region’s legal circles. In addition to his private practice, he held local offices, including service as a justice of the peace, a role that combined judicial and administrative responsibilities in the colonial and early state periods. Among those who studied law under his guidance was Lot Hall, who went on to serve as a Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court, indicating Bourne’s influence as a legal mentor as well as a practitioner.

With the advent of the American Revolution and the formation of new state institutions, Bourne entered public life. From 1782 to 1785, and again from 1788 to 1790, he served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, participating in the legislative work of the Commonwealth during a formative era marked by postwar adjustment and constitutional debate. He was also chosen as a delegate to the Massachusetts convention that met to consider ratification of the United States Constitution, taking part in the critical state-level deliberations that led to Massachusetts’s approval of the new federal framework in 1788.

Bourne’s state-level experience led to his election to the United States House of Representatives as a representative from Massachusetts. He served in the federal Congress from March 4, 1791, to March 3, 1795, during the Second and Third Congresses of the United States. In this capacity, he was part of the early national legislature that addressed foundational issues of federal finance, administration, and relations with foreign powers under President George Washington’s administration. His service in Congress reflected the trust placed in him by his constituents and his standing within Massachusetts political life.

After leaving Congress, Bourne continued his public service in the judiciary. He was appointed Chief Justice of the Suffolk County, Massachusetts, Court of Common Pleas, a court that handled a wide range of civil and criminal matters at the county level. In this role he exercised significant authority over the administration of justice in one of the Commonwealth’s most important counties, which included the city of Boston. His judicial service capped a career that had encompassed local office, state legislation, federal representation, and significant responsibilities on the bench.

Shearjashub Bourne died in Boston, Massachusetts, on March 11, 1806. At the time of his death he was recognized as a figure who had contributed to the legal and political development of Massachusetts from the late colonial era through the early years of the United States, leaving a record of service in both legislative and judicial capacities.